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Origin: |
Valentina is the feminine form of the Roman name Valentinus meaning "belonging to Valens." It was rendered as Valentine in English. Valens itself derives from the Latin valens meaning "strong, vigorous, healthy" and was a common cognomen in Roman times. Valentinus was the name of a widely venerated 3rd century Roman saint who is the patron of love, happy marriages and beekeepers. Little is known for sure about his life other than that he was a Christian bishop in Rome who ministered to Christians under Claudius II, however there are many legends surrounding him. He was martyred on 14th February 269 AD, and this day have been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine since 496 AD. This day became associated with romance in the Middle Ages and today has become Valentine's Day. This may have come about because it was believed that lovebirds and doves paired up in mid-February (in-line with St Valentine's Day), or as a transference of the Roman festival of fertility, the Lupercalia, which was celebrated from February 13th and February 15th. Eleven other saints with the name Valentine are commemorated in the Roman Catholic Church, and the Roman martyrology also lists a Saint Valentina, who was martyred in 308 in Caesarea, Palestine. |
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Usage: |
Though never common, Valentine was used in Britain since the 12th century. Valentina can be found in use in Romance-language countries such as Spain and Italy, and in Russia, from at least the 15th century. Valentina came into proper use in Britain in the 17th century, which also coincides with the time when Valentine came to be used for girls as well as boys. By the 19th century, Valentine was used fairly consistently, ranking just within the top 200 for boys. It was mostly used for boys, but was used occasionally for girls, also. By the end of the 19th century, Valentina also began to rise in use. As with Valentine, Jan-Mar was the most common quarter for registrations of the name. Records for Valentina and Valentine as a first name in the England and Wales Birth Index:
1963 was the year that Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. This perhaps explains the spike in the name's usage from 1963-1965.
It saw a further jump when it went from #309 (160 births) in 2016 to #233 (216 births) in 2017. March 2017 also saw former pop-stars and presenters, Rochelle and Marvin Humes name their second daughter Valentina Raine, which may have inspired some 2017 parents. Regional data from 2016 -- when Valentina ranked #309 overall -- shows that Valentina is most common in London, most likely because of its larger international population. The regional statistics for Valentina in 2016:
In Scotland, Valentina has also seen a rise. It went from #1421 (1 birth) in 2011, to #506 (6 births) in 2013; #416 (8 births) in 2015 to #247 (17 births) in 2017. Internationally, Valentina is has had plenty of success in recent years. In 2016, Valentina ranked #1 in Puerto Rico, #7 in Mexico, #10 in Austria, #50 in Italy and #59 in Portugal. In 2017, Valentina ranked #16 in Spain, #34 in Switzerland, #70 in Slovenia and #98 in Belgium. |
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Famous Bearers: |
History: * Valentina Gorinevskaya (1882–1953), Russian military surgeon. Contemporary: * Valentina Cortese (born 1923), Italian film actress. Literature and Other Media: * Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, an espionage agent in the Marvel Comics universe. |
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Variants: |
Valentine (French), Walentyna (Polish), Valentína (Slovak), Valentyna (Ukrainian) |
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Pronunciation: |
val-ən-TEE-nə [key] |
| Possible diminutives: |
Lena, Liv, Tilly, Tia, Tina, Val, Vee, Vivi |
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Sibling Names: |
Liliana Aurelia Paloma Allegra Eliana Anastasia |
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Name Lists: |
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